Box folder structure: The essentials

- Before you begin creating a Folder Structure,you need to decide what type of Folder Structureyou want to create.Broadly speaking, there are two types of Folder Structures,Closed and Open.Let's talk first about a Closed Folder Structure.In a Closed Folder Structure,the top level or root folder or foldersare owned by the admins.If you're the admin this is your folderand that means you get to set hierarchywhere only you have the abilityto add folders at the top level.

It might be that you have a folder for each departmentand you set those up,no one can create another one becausenobody gets to create a new department.If users want to have permission to get to a folder,they need to talk with you,they need to often request permission to be able to shareor to be able to share outside of the enterprise.This is what we call high touch administrationbecause when users want things,they have to talk to the admins to get them.This is something that we'd seevery typically in organizationsthat have data that's very sensitiveor organizations where you havean existing type of structurethat you're using for your informationand you're replacing that structure with Box.

You want to ensure you have the same folders in placethat you had in your legacy systembecause it's a way that you're making iteasy for your users.Let's contrast then with an Open Folder Structurebecause in an Open Folder Structure,users can create any kind of foldersincluding folders at the root level.Users can invite collaboratorsto the folders that they have,they can share files from their folders anywhere they wishand this has then low touch administrationbecause when a new folder is required,a user simply creates it.

Two very different ways to think abouthow we're going to create Folder Structures.Now, there's another possibility that you might start witha Closed Folder Structureand setup the basic infrastructurethat you want your users to work inuntil they're up to speed and they're very comfortableand then you can go back and say"I think we're going to loosen this up"and let users now create root folders"although we weren't willing to do that initially."You have a lot of abilityto loosen up your structure as time goes on.

Any time you try to tighten up your structure isusually seen as a less positive thing.Both of these structures are setupin exactly the same place.We actually have a check box that lets us choose,it doesn't say "Choose Open or Close,"but you'll see what I mean when we take a look at it.Here we are in the Administrative Consoleof our Box Enterprise Account,we're going to go to Enterprise Settings,we have this in Box for Business as well,and we're going to choose Content & Sharingand scroll down.

Right here,Content Creation,if we want to have a Closed Folder Structure,we just click this check box.If we want an Open Folder Structure,we don't need to do anythingbecause the default is an Open Folder Structure.Also notice, below this we have Restrict tag creation.Imagine that your organizationis in the process of setting up a taxonomyfor how you're going to identify files,for how you're going totag all of the information that you have.

If that were the case,you would say "Only these users can create tags"and you might then want to make your knowledge manager,the person who's in charge of taxonomies,one of the co-adminsor you might make them folder owners.If we have this turned off,we have a very open taxonomy for tags.Here, we've closed our tag taxonomy.These two check boxescontrol two different thingsthat may or may not be related in your organization.

Perhaps you care very much aboutwhat terms are used to classify filesor to be able to tag imagesbut you don't care who creates folders.In that case, you'd restrict your tag creation.In many organizations,they care a lot more aboutthe Content Creation restrictions thoughthan they would about tag creation.Use these two check boxesto establish your Folder Structureand to establish the parameters for tag creationin your taxonomy.

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5/28/2015

Learn to administer Box, the online file sharing and cloud storage service, across your entire organization. Gini Courter covers the basic steps to get Box Business and Enterprise accounts up and running—creating a folder structure and adding content and users—and then introduces critical administration tasks, such as running reports, branding and customizing your account, and setting security options. She also shows how to use policies to enforce security and use automation to support key workflows.